You’ve probably seen the ads or flipped past the channel while scrolling through YouTube TV or Xfinity. Maybe you caught a clip of Chris Cuomo firing off a monologue or Elizabeth Vargas leaning into a hard-hitting interview. It feels different from the usual shout-fest on other networks. Naturally, you’re wondering: who owns NewsNation, and do they have an agenda? In an era where billionaires buy up media outlets like they’re collecting trading cards, it's a fair question.
The answer isn't a shadowy cabal. It’s a massive company based in Irving, Texas, called Nexstar Media Group, Inc. Most people haven't heard of Nexstar, yet they likely watch a Nexstar-owned station every single morning. This isn't some small-time operation. Nexstar is actually the largest local television station operator in the United States. We’re talking about a beast that owns, operates, or provides services to roughly 200 stations across 116 markets. If you’re watching your local NBC, ABC, or CBS affiliate in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, or Dallas, there is a massive chance Nexstar is the one signing the paychecks.
The Nexstar Takeover: How NewsNation Was Born
NewsNation didn't just appear out of thin air. It’s actually a total rebrand of what used to be WGN America.
WGN America was a "superstation." It played reruns of Blue Bloods, Last Man Standing, and aired the occasional Chicago Cubs game. It was fine, but it wasn't exactly a powerhouse. Nexstar acquired it as part of a gargantuan $6.4 billion deal to buy Tribune Media back in 2019. This was a chess move that changed the entire landscape of American broadcasting.
Perry Sook, the CEO of Nexstar, is the guy you need to know here. Sook started Nexstar in 1996 with a single station in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He's a veteran of the industry who basically built an empire by realizing that local news is a goldmine. When he got his hands on WGN America, he saw an opportunity to pivot. He didn't want another channel playing MASH* reruns. He wanted to compete with CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News.
So, in September 2020, they launched "NewsNation" as a three-hour prime-time newscast. By 2021, the entire channel took on the name. They went all in.
The Mission Statement vs. The Reality
Nexstar’s pitch for NewsNation was bold: "Bias-free news."
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They hired Bill Shine, a former Fox News executive, as a consultant. They also brought in Jennifer Lyon from CNN. The goal was to build a tent big enough for everyone. They wanted to attract the viewers who were tired of the partisan bickering that dominates the 8:00 PM hour on other networks.
Did it work? Well, it’s been a bumpy ride.
Early on, there was a lot of internal drama. In early 2021, the news director and managing editor both resigned. This sparked a wave of reports—most notably in the New York Times—about concerns that the network was drifting toward a right-leaning bias. People were worried it was becoming "Fox Lite."
However, if you watch the programming today, that narrative doesn't quite stick. They’ve gone out of their way to hire "big tent" names. Think about it. They have Chris Cuomo, who was the face of CNN’s prime time for years. They have Dan Abrams, who is a legal analyst for ABC News and has a reputation for being pretty middle-of-the-road. They have Elizabeth Vargas, a legendary ABC 20/20 anchor.
It’s an eclectic mix. It’s kinda like they’re trying to build a news version of the 1992 Dream Team, but everyone is from a different political background.
Understanding the Nexstar Portfolio
To really grasp who owns NewsNation, you have to look at what else Nexstar holds. They aren't just a TV company anymore.
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- The CW Network: Nexstar acquired a 75% stake in The CW in 2022. Yes, the channel that gave us Gossip Girl and The Flash is now largely owned by the same company that owns NewsNation.
- The Hill: They bought this political news site for $130 million in 2021. It’s a major player in D.C. reporting.
- BestReviews: They even own a product review site.
Nexstar is a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ under the ticker NXST. This is a crucial detail. Unlike a private outlet owned by a single billionaire with a specific political axe to grind—think Elon Musk with X or Jeff Bezos with the Washington Post—Nexstar is beholden to shareholders.
Shareholders care about one thing: the bottom line.
For Nexstar, NewsNation is a play for carriage fees and ad revenue. They want to prove that a "centrist" or "independent" news model can actually make money. In a world where outrage drives clicks, that’s a risky bet, but it’s one they are doubling down on.
Is NewsNation Actually Neutral?
"Neutral" is a tricky word. Everyone has a perspective.
According to various media bias charts, such as AllSides or Ad Fontes Media, NewsNation generally lands in the "Middle" or "Center" category. They tend to report facts with less "loaded" language than their competitors.
But here is the thing: Nexstar’s local stations are the backbone of this operation. When a big story breaks in a random town in Ohio, NewsNation doesn't just send a crew from New York. They tap into the Nexstar-owned local station already on the ground. This gives them a "boots on the ground" feel that CNN or Fox sometimes lacks. It’s less "Beltway" and more "Main Street."
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Honestly, the ownership structure actually helps keep them somewhat grounded. Because they own so many local stations in both "Red" and "Blue" states, Nexstar can't really afford to alienate half of their audience. If they turned NewsNation into a hard-left or hard-right mouthpiece, they’d risk damaging the reputation of their local affiliates, which are the real cash cows of the company.
What This Means for You
So, why should you care about who owns the channel?
Because ownership dictates the guardrails. Nexstar is a massive, corporate entity focused on local broadcasting. They aren't a tech giant trying to disrupt democracy or a hedge fund trying to strip assets. They are a traditional media company trying to survive the cord-cutting era by creating a national brand.
If you're tired of the feeling that your news is yelling at you, NewsNation is an alternative. It’s not perfect—no news source is—but knowing it’s backed by the infrastructure of 200 local stations gives it a level of accountability that "digital-only" news sites usually don't have.
Moving forward, here is how you can verify the "bias-free" claim for yourself:
- Compare the A-Block: Watch the first 10 minutes of NewsNation’s The Hill and then flip to a similar show on a rival network. Note the adjectives used. Are they describing events, or telling you how to feel about them?
- Follow the Money: Since Nexstar is public, you can literally read their annual reports. Look at their "NewsNation" segment. If they start losing massive amounts of money, expect programming shifts.
- Check Local Ties: If there is a major event in your city, see how the local Nexstar station covers it versus how NewsNation picks it up. That link is the "secret sauce" of their ownership model.
At the end of the day, NewsNation is Nexstar’s big swing at national relevance. It’s a corporate-owned, shareholder-driven attempt to find the "sensible center." Whether that’s actually possible in 2026 is still up for debate, but at least now you know whose name is on the building.